The best decision I’ve made as a mom was getting my children involved in competitive speech and debate. When my oldest was in 8th grade, we joined NCFCA— National Christian Forensics and Communications Association. I’m not going to lie … she was furious with me at first. But by the time she graduated, she was more poised and confident, and she agreed it was a terrific experience. She even managed to get some “A”s in college‐level STEM classes due almost solely to her presentation skills.
Homeschooling mom Krista Lopez, who recently moved from New Jersey to Florida, agrees. “Our family has been abundantly blessed having NCFCA as part of our curriculum,” she says. “We had no idea what we were getting into, but we immediately recognized the excellence of this league. We have watched our four children struggle and grow through competition into gracious, thoughtful, and considerate communicators. What they have learned through this journey is irreplaceable.”
NCFCA, which was originally limited to homeschoolers is now the nation’s largest Christian speech and debate league. Krista appreciates NCFCA’s mission: To challenge and equip ambassadors for Christ to communicate truth with integrity and grace. “This is far from just another school subject in our home. This is a blending of character building with academic rigor and excellence, and we get to do this as a family and alongside other families with similar goals.” She adds, “I have so much hope for our country when I watch our NCFCA students.”
Competitive speaking is generally aimed at junior high and high school students. In addition to NCFCA, there are other leagues available. Homeschoolers can look to Stoa and Christian Communicators of America. For public and private school students, options include the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL). Homeschoolers can form teams in NCFL, but they have to go through their local public school to compete in NSDA. Different leagues are more popular in various regions of the country.
There are a wide variety of events available in competitive speech and debate. Some speech events are prepared in advance, such as platform speeches that inform or persuade and interpretative speeches that bring a piece of literature to life. There are also limited preparation speeches, where students have a short amount of time to prepare a speech based on a prompt they’re given. NCFCA debate includes Lincoln‐Douglas, a one‐on‐one value debate; team policy, a two‐on‐two debate over a specific policy; and moot court, a two‐on‐two format that simulates oral arguments before an appellate court. Other leagues may include public forum and parliamentary debate as well as mock trial.
Competitive speech and debate is often overlooked when kids are considering what activities to join. But the benefits are significant, making it something every family might want to consider. (Although, I’ll admit, there may be times when you regret helping your teens argue more persuasively.)
